Effects of freezing and freeze-drying on the biomechanical properties of rat bone

The effects of various preservation techniques on the biomechanical properties of bone have been investigated in a rat model. Freezing of the specimens to −20°C, −70°C, and −196°C did not adversely affect the strength of long bones tested in torsion or of vertebral bodies tested in compression. Freeze‐drying did not markedly affect the compression properties of the vertebral specimens; however, it did produce a significant deleterious reduction in the torsional strength of the long bones.